By Rev. Chuck Currie of Portland, Oregon.Chuck is a long-time activist and minister in the United Church of Christ. He regularly blogs at ChuckCurrie.com and the Huffington Post.

The shooting of a patient at Portland Adventist Hospital by members of the Portland
Police Bureau, a shooting that cost the patient his life, deserves a careful review.
Portland police may have been 100% justified in their actions but Portlanders have
every reason to be suspicious of a bureau in constant chaos.

All Portlanders want a city that is safe. That means we want members of the Police
Bureau, most of whom are honorable and committed public servants, to be able to
conduct their responsibilities in ways that are safe, transparent, were people are
held accountable for mistakes, and lifted up for noble service. Right now our system
is broken.

The U.S. Department of Justice has determined that the Portland Police Bureau
has engaged in a pattern that violates the civil rights of Portlanders suffering from
mental illness. Many, including the Albina Ministerial Alliance, don’t believe the
DOJ went far enough in their conclusions. More concerning is that the Portland
Police Association, the union which represents the police, dismisses the central
conclusions of the DOJ’s findings – instead of acknowledging the obvious – and has
gone to court to fight changes that the DOJ is demanding of the city regarding the
use of force by police.

At the same time, the union continues to defend Officer Ronald Frashour, who killed
Aaron Campbell, an unarmed man. Portland’s Police Review Board unanimously,
and appropriately, said Frashour violated policy and called for his firing.

How can all Portlanders fell safe when the Portland Police Association fights against
upholding the civil rights of all? The union creates a breach between the police and
public that causes people to mistrust sworn officers. It will take those very officers,
some of whom strongly disagree with their union, to stand up and give voice to a
better and more effective way of policing that restores trust.

Compounding these problems are the actions of Chief Mike Reese. He also disagrees
with the DOJ’s central finding but at least he has worked to bring some reforms
to the bureau. That isn’t enough, however. In the midst of crisis after crisis in his
bureau how can the city trust a chief who continues to promote officers guilty of
misconduct not tolerated in most places of employment? Reese even moved Lt.
Todd Wyatt into a position where he’d have daily contact with a woman under his
supervision that had complained of harassment. At first, the chief saw no problem
with the arrangement until a public outcry. This is the same chief who once said
that critics don’t matter. In a democracy, the reverse is true.

The new film “Alien Boy” about the life of James Chasse has just been released. I was
one of the clergy who conducted his memorial after members of the Portland Police Bureau killed him. From my perspective as a member of the clergy, we face issues
in Portland that intersect with race, mental illness, accountability, leadership, and
spirituality. We’re too polarized and we don’t do enough to help those in need. We
deserve as city that is better than the one we have. For any real change to emerge,
however, it will take bold leadership from City Hall and a transformation of thinking
within the Portland Police Association. That’s something for us all to pray for.

To the Oregon Legislature:

Some large corporations pay nothing - zero - in income taxes to Oregon. Unfortunately, we don't know which ones or the specific accounting tricks and loopholes they use to avoid income taxes. It's wrong that working families pay more in income taxes to support schools and other public services than some of the largest corporations doing business in Oregon. We ask the legislature to enact corporate tax disclosure and let the public know which corporations are paying their fair share.

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This petition sponsored by BlueOregon Action and Oregon Center for Public Policy. By signing, you agree to receive email updates from BlueOregon Action and Oregon Center for Public Policy about this petition and other critical issues. (You may always unsubscribe, of course.) Learn more.

To the Oregon Legislature:

Some large corporations pay nothing - zero - in income taxes to Oregon. Unfortunately, we don't know which ones or the specific accounting tricks and loopholes they use to avoid income taxes. It's wrong that working families pay more in income taxes to support schools and other public services than some of the largest corporations doing business in Oregon. We ask the legislature to enact corporate tax disclosure and let the public know which corporations are paying their fair share.

First Name*

Last Name*

Email Address*

Zip Code*

This petition sponsored by BlueOregon Action and Oregon Center for Public Policy. By signing, you agree to receive email updates from BlueOregon Action and Oregon Center for Public Policy about this petition and other critical issues. (You may always unsubscribe, of course.) Learn more.